Phantasia: The Princess Knight 144 Test Of Generosity Part Ten

The whole room went silent as everyone stared at Alicia. The general she was speaking to went pale when he saw the sword being pointed at him. But he also did not understand what the issue was. If they did not stop the war then they might lose a bit of land in the process of trying to defend it. But if they blew up the valley they would not lose any land. Alicia looked at the old general and snorted before putting her sword back into its sheath. The entire time Chris did not say a single word since he had never seen this side of Alicia before. He wanted to know where exactly she was going with her train of thought.

"It seems you value your life after all. Let me say this. The plan you have come up with would kill this country more than losing a for kilometers of land. Do you all not realize that the citizens who work hard every day of their life to grow those crops to make a living and feed the people of this kingdom are more important than old men such as yourselves? They are the lifeblood of your country. If they lose the ability to bring water to their crops all because you wish to save a bit of land and win a war to heighten up your statuses in the noble circles is basically an act of treason. 

"Look at the layout of this valley. There are many places we can set up ambushes. Our spies use these very routes in order to gain the information we have. If we use hit and run tactics we can not only reduce the enemy army's numbers but we can also save thousands of our own soldiers' lives. Not only that, but we can also even secure the same water route you planned to block off which is essential to our kingdom. Look here and here." Alicia stepped forward and pointed at the map. "This section of the river wraps back and enters the Empire who we have friendly relations with. If we do hit and run tactics and make it so the Dukedom's forces are forced to pull back we can secure a defensive line around the river and actually annex it from the Dukedom all together. All is fair and war. If they are here to try to take our land why not take some of theirs? An essential water route that the Kingdom needs."

All the Generals stared at the map wide eyed. After looking at everything that Alicia had pointed out they couldn't say a word against what she was saying because it was true. What she said was correct! The General she had just yelled at Alicia bowed his head in shame towards her and said: "Young Miss I have to give my apologies. Your plan makes a lot more sense and not only will we keep our lands but we will also gain some as well." 

"It is not that your plan was bad. If it was not for the fact that the river flowed through the valley the plan would have been perfect. But we can not sacrifice the citizens who rely on us to protect them just to win a war. If I was a king, instead of war I would try to use diplomatic means to end the war and if that did not work, only then would I wage war. You need to think of the bigger picture before you choose your actions." Alicia hated the idea of war altogether. Countless lives would be lost and there was no guarantee that you could even win. She also despised those warmongering leaders who sat in the comfort of their own homes, while the rest of their army was out dying in the name of the country. 

"Young Miss is absolutely right." The old General looked at each other before nodding their heads and turned to Chris. "Prince Chris, may we be so bold to ask if this Young Miss can lead our army?" These words caused another round of socked gazes this time they were trained on to the general who had spoken.

Chris thought for a moment before turning to Alicia who only nodded her head. "Alright, I approve. So listen up everyone! From this time forward my assistant Alicia will be in command!"

Although this would be a headache for Alicia she would rather it be her in command then the old generals. She knew she would not be able to rely on Chris since he had no experience in war tactics. Alicia, in her past life, spent her time off when not training, playing war tactic games. She liked the process of trying to defeat her enemies with elaborate plans.

With things settled Alicia took up her post and went over many different strategies. She made sure to ask the old generals' inputs to make sure her plans were plausible and could be used effectively on the battlefield. The old generals were grateful that she was so willing to listen to what they had to say. Finally after a few hours of arguing about this and that the plan was finally drafted and approved by everyone present. 

A little while later Alicia was standing on a rocky cliff looking off into the horizon. There she saw far off into the distance a line of men making their way towards them. "Okay, they are about a half day out. So we will need to make sure things are all ready! So let's get to work!" 

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Chapter end